Francisco Liriano

It feels like just yesterday that the thought of any teams from the American League East entering these hallowed rankings would be kind of a joke. But after two returned last week, more are back this week. Has the Orioles’ hot stretch been enough to make them one of the lucky 10? As always, these rankings are completely subjective, and yet objectively correct. 1. St. Louis Cardinals (45-24; Last Week: 1) The Cardinals’ mediocre week on the field, combined with the potential scandal involving their employees illegally entering the Astros’ scouting database, wasn’t enough to knock the Cardinals from this perch, yet. Any further slippage might make it hard to hold...

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WASHINGTON — Max Scherzer pitched a no-hitter and came agonizingly close to a perfect game, hitting a batter with two outs in the ninth inning Saturday in the Washington Nationals' 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.Scherzer was masterful in retiring the...

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Terry Collins had seen enough. After watching the Mets strike out 14 more times in their fifth loss in six games, the manager addressed his team behind closed doors.
There was plenty to talk about.
Jonathon Niese was knocked out in...

Juan Pablo Montoya won the Indianapolis 500 after beating out Will Power and Scott Dixon late in the race. Montoya also earned the checkered flag in 2000. The 15 years between victories was a record. A.J. Foyt took 10 years between his third and fourth...

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A.J. Burnett threw seven effective innings to win his fourth straight start and the Pittsburgh Pirates handed New York Mets ace Matt Harvey the worst loss of his career in an 8-2 victory Saturday.
The anticipated showdown between two of...

PITTSBURGH -- Francisco Liriano had a difficult time throwing strikes. Yet with the way the Pittsburgh Pirates are playing, it didn't matter. Liriano won his third straight start, first baseman Ike Davis hit a three-run home run and backup shortstop Clint...

MINNEAPOLIS The Minnesota Twins intentionally walked Andrew McCutchen during his first plate appearance with men on base Wednesday. Given what he did in the next two such situations, it made sense. McCutchen homered, drove in three runs and...

PITTSBURGH The Pirates hit three home runs, Francisco Liriano struck out 11 batters and the Pirates won the first game of their series against the Washington Nationals, 7-3, Thursday night. Pedro Alvarez hit his 13th home run of the season, and...

A look at what's happening all around the major leagues today: ___ ZACK'S ZEROS Dodgers ace Zack Greinke takes a shutout streak of 35 2/3 innings into his start at Washington. He gave a home run to Mike Trout leading off the All-Star Game, but those stats...

Pirates left-hander Francisco Liriano was scratched minutes before the start of Saturday night's game against the Milwaukee Brewers because of tightness in his neck.
Vance Worley (3-4) was tabbed as his replacement, which set off two lineup changes for...

Last season's tightest major award vote in baseball was for the American League Cy Young, with Cleveland's Corey Kluber edging Seattle's Felix Hernandez by only 10 points. Now it's the National League that looks like it could have a compelling race...

PITTSBURGH For the entire first half of the season, the Pirates have been looking up at the Cardinals in the National League Central standings. And, heading into this week's All-Star break, they still are. But the Pirates can now see their...

Gregory Polanco had the go-ahead hit in the eighth inning after helping with a save in the third. Polanco helped free a grounds crew member trapped underneath a billowing tarp, then hit a triple that sent the Pittsburgh Pirates past the San Diego Padres...

PITTSBURGH Gregory Polanco put together four strong plate appearances before the eighth inning Tuesday night. Twice he lined out to left field. Twice he walked. The fifth time around he again lined the ball to left, but this time he smoked it and he...

Glen Perkins, his manager said Monday, "has quite a streak going." Paul Molitor was talking about saves, 27 in a row that Perkins has converted. But the Twins closer now owns another impressive streak: For the third straight season, he's...

With stricter pitch counts and five-man rotations, no one ever will touch Nolan Ryan's modern day single-season record for strikeouts.
Ryan fanned 383 hitters in 1973, snapping Sandy Koufax's 1965 mark by one. The closest anyone has come to that in the...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Brandon Crawford raced home from second base on a throwing error by reliever Randy Choate in the 10th inning Tuesday, allowing the San Francisco Giants to rebound after blowing a four-run lead and beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 in...

The Dodgers could have a huge playoff edge, and it has nothing to do with home field.
With one month to play, the National League playoff field looks like this: The Dodgers as NL West champions, the Atlanta Braves as NL East champions, and the Cincinnati...

If Kevin Youkilis leaves via free agency, what are the chances the Sox try Dan Johnson at third? He is patient and does have some pop. -- Kent Kimpel, Plymouth, Ind.
I think the chances are slim. I think they should bring him back, but I'm not sure...

The White Sox were extremely pleased with the development of their pitching staff in 2012, particularly the rookie relievers who experienced the pressure of a division race. In fact, general manager Ken Williams resisted any temptation to trade any of...